Cooler but still well above normal this week

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It’s been a slow-motion climb into spring this year in Minnesota.

It’s interesting to note that temperatures since March 1 are actually running warmer than average. March was 7.7 degrees warmer than average at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. April was almost exactly average. It feels like it’s been a chilly spring, but the past month has been very close to average overall. 

Clear skies, dew points in the 20s and light winds. It’s the perfect atmospheric recipe for frost in early May. 

 include the eastern Twin Cities counties into early Saturday morning. A 

 is up further east including Eau Claire, Wis.

The temperature bottomed out at 29 degrees that past 2 mornings at MSP Airport. It may dip to around 37 Saturday morning. But most of the inner Twin Cities should once again escape a widespread frost.

There are signs our spring pattern is ready to launch into warmer mode. After a cool and mostly cloudy weekend, sunshine and warmer temperatures return next week. 

Highs look about 5 to 10 degrees warmer next week, with highs in the mid-60s common across Minnesota. 

The upper air pattern across North America looks likely to change for the warmer by late next week into the third week of May. 

Highs should push 70 degrees by next Friday across much of Minnesota.

Much warmer air appears likely to arrive around May 18-21. NOAA’s eight- to 14-day outlook favors above-average temperatures.

And NOAA’s week 3 and 4 outlook also favors warmth for the Upper Midwest. 

The average high in the Twin Cities reaches 70 degrees on May 17.

Get ready for the warmer part of spring, and even some hints of summer in the next two weeks. I expect we’ll see some 80s, and possibly 90 degrees in parts of Minnesota in the next two weeks.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Frost and freeze warnings into Saturday morning. Much warmer air ahead in the next two weeks. 

Frost advisories again; much warmer pattern emerging next week

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